ARLINGTON, Va. (ABP) — The influence of evangelical Christians in the military's highest ranks is again under question, after complaints about an evangelical group's promotional video that features several top-ranking Pentagon officers, some in uniform.
The Pentagon inspector general's office received the complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The foundation — founded earlier this year by an Air Force veteran who made headlines in a dispute over evangelical influences at the Air Force Academy — made the complaint public Dec. 11.
The video appears on the website of the Christian Embassy, a Washington-area institution that serves high-level leaders in the federal government and the city's diplomatic community.
The organization is an outgrowth of Campus Crusade for Christ, an international evangelism and discipleship group for students.
Referring to the Pentagon's 20,000-plus employees, the video's narrator states: “Through Bible studies, discipleship, prayer breakfasts and outreach events, Christian Embassy is mustering these men and women into an intentional relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation's complaint, addressed to Thomas Gimble, the Pentagon's acting inspector general, said the appearance of Department of Defense employees in the video violates several military rules, including rules against active-duty service members promoting political or religious causes while in uniform.
“Service men and women shown in uniform, and civilian [Department of Defense] personnel, at the Pentagon enthusiastically promoting a private, sectarian religious organization appears to violate a number of Department of Defense Directives, Joint Ethics Regulations, Army Regulations, Air Force Instructions and the 'Little Blue Book' of Air Force Core Values,” the complaint said.
For instance, the complaint cited Department of Defense Directive 5410.18, which authorizes military participation in events sponsored by religious or other special-interest groups only “when it is clear that the support primarily benefits the community at large, rather than the sponsoring organization.”
It also cited Directive 1334.1, which prohibits military personnel from appearing in uniform “when participating in activities such as public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or any public demonstration … which may imply Service sanction of the cause for which the demonstration or activity is conducted.”
However, it also says service members may appear in uniform for such events “when authorized by competent Service authority.”
The video features seven military officers — including four generals — endorsing the Christian Embassy and its work. They include Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Catton, who was investigated earlier this year for sending an e-mail urging Air Force Academy graduates to support a Republican candidate for Congress.
The video also featured high-ranking civilian employees of the Department of Defense, including former Texas congressman Pete Geren. Geren, a member of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, is now undersecretary of defense for the Army. In the video, Geren said the Christian Embassy “has been a rock that I can rely on, been an organization that helped me in my walk with Christ, and I'm just thankful for the service they give.”
As an acting official for the Air Force in 2005, Geren directed the branch's response to complaints that evangelical administrators, faculty members and cadets were proselytizing and harassing cadets of minority faiths at the Air Force Academy.
Complaints about the religious atmosphere at the academy came from Mikey Weinstein, a New Mexico lawyer who is an alumnus of the school and the father of two academy graduates. A Pentagon investigation into the matter cleared the academy of systematic wrongdoing but resulted in a new set of guidelines for dealing with religious minorities in the Air Force.
Weinstein was not immediately available for comment Dec. 12 but said in a press release the video was “a testament to systemic problems of religious bias and constitutional neglect that continue to occur within the United States armed forces.”
Much of the 10-minute video was filmed inside the Pentagon, which the group's complaint also asked the Pentagon to investigate. Accompanying the complaint was Freedom of Information Act request for any documents relating to the video.
Bob Varney, the Christian Embassy's executive director, did not respond to requests for comment by press time for this story. He has reportedly said he didn't believe the video violated military rules.
“We don't think we did anything in violation,” Varney told the Associated Press. “The Pentagon gave us permission to film the video, and I don't think they'd give us permission if it were in violation of the regulations.”
After news of the story broke Dec. 11, the group posted a disclaimer next to the video link on its website. It reads: “The views expressed by any government officials in this video are their personal views and are not intended to represent the U.S. government nor any department in which they serve.”
A Pentagon spokesperson did not return telephone and e-mail messages requesting comment by press time for this story. However, the AP quoted a Pentagon official as saying: “The Department of Defense does not endorse any particular religious faith, but we do provide service members with the ability to practice their religion.”
He also noted the branch would have to balance any potential violations of military rules by the Pentagon employees in the video with another Department of Defense directive, from 1988, that states: “requests for accommodation of religious practices should be approved by commanders when accommodation will not have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards or discipline.”
The video and Air Force Academy controversies are among several over religion's role in the military that have plagued the Pentagon in recent years.
In September, a Navy court martial convicted Lt. Col. Gordon Klingenschmitt, a chaplain, for appearing in uniform at a protest outside the White House to protest military policy on chaplains' ability to offer sectarian prayers at multi-faith gatherings. Many conservative religious groups adopted Klingenschmitt as a cause celebre, but mainstream military chaplain organizations denounced his views.
In 2003, Army Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin raised controversy after news stories about his appearances in uniform before evangelical groups — including Southern Baptist churches and pastors' conferences. In one videotaped speech, he asserted that President Bush was “appointed by God” and declaring the United States “a Christian nation.” The inspector general's office cleared him of any major rule violations.
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Read more:
Christian Embassy promotional video
Military Religious Freedom Foundation complaint and FOI request
Judge dismisses lawsuit targeting evangelism at Air Force Academy (10/31)
Navy chaplain fined, reprimanded for disobeying commander's order (9/14)
Congress kills conservatives' effort to create right to sectarian prayers (10/3)
Air Force Academy problems real but unintentional, report says (8/22/2005)